Mark of Athena
by LivLaughLuv97
Summary: The Argo 2 finally arrives at the Roman camp. But can the Romans and Greeks work through their bloody past? And what is the Mark of Athena? Why does Hera say that Annabeth is going to be causing trouble for the quest? Will Nico be saved? Read and Review!
1. Hoist the Colors!

**Heyy guys! Okay, so this is my take on the MoA! I'll try to be posting at least once a week, maybe more… if im feeling nice((: I have some ideas for the whole prophecy thing, but I don't know what one I want to go with, so if you wanna help, PM me! I'd LOVEEEE your help! Anywayyy, credits go to Rick Riordan! Enjoyyy!**

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><p>~Chapter One~<p>

"Leo!" Annabeth called over the roaring wind that had been echoing in her ears for the past three days. "How much longer till we land?" A crowd was gathering in a wide circle around the ship's enormous shadow, and even from this height, they weren't looking too friendly.

"Well, Annie-beth, I'm not quite sure. Do we even have to go down there? I mean, I'm not the brightest flame in the fire, but those are some pretty wild weapons!" Leo whined back, turning the wheel sharply to the left. Annabeth's stomach flipped for about the billionth time that day.

"Leo! Percy's down there. We have to get him. Plus, we have Jason with us; they wouldn't attack him. And Percy wouldn't let them either." Annabeth was speaking to herself as much as the others.

"If he's even there." Leo mumbled under the breath, probably thinking his comment would get lost in the wind. It didn't.

"Leo, do me a favor, will you?" Piper chimed in. Anabeth noted how close Jason and Piper were standing. And how there hands were entwined. And how Jason was whispering in Piper's ears. And how a smile spread across Piper's face, lighting up her eyes.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She would have Percy back soon, right? She could hold his hand, and smile when he whispered in her ears the way he used to.

"Sure, anything for you Beauty Queen." Leo looked back, causing the ship to tilt again.

"Shut up and focus on steering this war ship."

"Why can't Jason just steer if I'm that bad?" Leo pouted, still looking back at Piper and Jason.

"What a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Jason started toward Leo.

"Umm… yeah right! I am the Supreme Captain of the Warship. Therefore I officially get the steering dibs!" Leo shouted over the wind.

"Oh, right." Jason smiled at Piper. "I forgot we already came up with that idea about twenty billion other times, just you always managed to come up with an excuse."

"It's not an excuse… it's a… a fact of life!" Leo retorted.

"Yeah, because everyone knows that the Captain-of-the-Flying-Warship-that-has-a-Dragon-Head-Attached-to-the-Front gets to steer it even if there's a son of Jupiter aboard," said Annabeth, rolling her eyes.

"That's _Supreme-_Captain-of-the-Flying-Warship-that-has-a-Dragon-Head-Attached-to-the-Front to you, Annie-beth!" Leo stuck out his tongue.

Pipe shook her head. "Whatever Leo, just keep two hands on the wheel."

"Wait, so you don't want me to do this?" Leo asked innocently, taking one hand off of the wheel."

"Leo…"

"And I guess you _definitely _don't want me to do this!" Leo took his other hand off and waved his arms in the air.

"Leo! What the heck are you doing?" Piper screamed as Jason quickly grabbed her and pulled her toward him.

Annabeth's heart pounded. What was he doing? "Leo! This isn't the time to mess around! What will the Romans think?" She tried to make herself heard above the roaring wind, whipping her hair around.

"I'm not! At least not now! It won't go up!" Leo shouted, desperately trying to get the ship to stop plummeting toward the ever nearing ground.

"Where are Rachel, Thalia, and Grover?" Jason shouted.

Oh gods. He was right. None of them were in sight. They were probably still below decks… Which meant that if they couldn't stop the ship before the ground did, anyone below decks would get the worst of it. Annabeth took off, sprinting towards the ladder.

"Annabeth! Wait, come back!" Piper called struggling to go after her, but Jason wouldn't let her go. "Jason! Let me go!"

"Piper calm down, they'll be back any second…" _I hope. _He added in his head.


	2. That Sinking Feeling

Percy threw one arm around Hazel and one arm around Frank.

"Come on," he said. "Let me introduce you to my _other _family."

"Well it's about time!" Hazel laughed, her cinnamon brown ringlets swaying in the breeze.

"No kidding," Frank agreed, smiling.

They could see the ship rolling in, casting a giant shadow over the Camp. Actually it was a gulley. Percy didn't even know what a gulley was… other than the flying thing in front of him. But he was positive of it. The thing was HUGE! More than thirty oars stuck out in three rows across each side of the hull, propelling the massive bulk through the air. Part of him wondered who was pulling the oars, but the other half knew that no one was, it was all part of the godly magic that allowed the gulley to cruise in the sky. Celestial bronze cannons popped out from the gun ports along the broadside of the ship. The wood, some of which was plated in imperial gold, was neatly painted, perfectly trimmed and looked smooth as a baby's butt even from all the way down here.

One other detail caught Percy's attention other than the tall, well structured masts. The figureheadof the ship had been graced as a metal dragon head. Percy squinted. A _familiar _metal dragon head. That couldn't be… or was it… nahhh… impossible… but it was… the head of the haywire dragon at Camp Half-Blood they had been trying to hunt down eight months ago, before he was turned into a demigod-knapped, sleepy, brainwashed, half-blood. But that meant someone had _defeated _the monster, a feat that not even _he_ had been able to accomplish.

Annabeth would have punched him for being too cocky, Percy knew. Annabeth! Percy shook his head and decided to think about what he'd say when they finally saw each other.

The ship was traveling fast. _Really _fast. Like, faster than an airplane, fast. Which would mean he would get to see everyone sooner!

Yeah, Percy was happy. _Really _happy. He was praetor at Camp Jupiter. He was about to see his friends from Camp Half-Blood. Hazel and Frank were next to him laughing together. He wasn't about to die… well not that he knew of. And most of all, he was going to see Annabeth.

Percy's stomach churned with anxiety when he thought of his reunion with her. Would she be mad? Well, it _was_ Hera's fault… But his worries were tiny in comparison with the joy he knew he would feel when he saw her again.

_I wonder if Reyna is feeling like this about seeing Jason again?_

Speaking of Reyna, where was she? "Hey guys," Percy asked. "Where's Reyna? Shouldn't we meet my friends together because we're praetors and all that?"

"Probably… But I don't see her," Frank shrugged.

"She's probably trying to convince Octavian to let them land without knocking them out of the sky." Hazel grumbled.

Percy nodded, hardly listening. If Reyna was still arguing with Octavian, then this could go much worse than they thought. And that was bad already. He turned around, determined to find the daughter of Bellona.

Hazel gasped behind him. "Oh my gods! What are they doing?"

Romans all around Percy were pointing and shouting. What's everyone worried about? He wondered as he turned around. Oh. Gods. Percy couldn't move. The galley was practically falling out of the sky!

"What are they doing?" Someone shouted.

"They're going to crash!"

"Terminus is going to have a heart attack!"

"Run!"

The cohorts scattered as chaos erupted. Both the Forum and the Senate House were going to be crushed if Percy didn't think of a way stop the ship from… well, from sinking! Percy racked his brain for something he could do to help. Nothing. What could you do to stop gravity from working?

From the corner of his eye, Percy saw Octavian smirking triumphantly in his direction. Hazel's words came back to him. _"She's probably trying to convince Octavian to let them land without knocking them out of the sky."_

That little rat! He did this! And now he was going on about how this was really an evil plan from the Greeks.

"They probably aren't even on that ship! Those little _graecus _probably sent in a decoy to crush the majority of us, and then they'll come sailing in another ship, the _real _one, to kill off the rest of us! At least, that's as much as we should expect from them now. Be ready, you never know when they might command a ship to fall out of the sky on you."

Percy gritted his teeth trying to control the urge to run over to him and smash his head in. Luckily, some clumsy Roman from the Second Cohort collided with The Little Rat, knocking him clean off his feet and onto his little rat _podex. _Percy cracked a smile before tuning back to the problem at hand.

The aqueducts caught his eye. Hmm… If he could channel the water and time it just right… It might just work! Not stop the ship completely of course; that was impossible. Just slow it down…

Percy took off, making his way under the shadow of the galley towards the aqueducts and the water that they held.

Hazel and Frank who had been running along with the crowd noticed Percy booking it in the opposite direction and screamed for him to stop. He didn't.

"Let's go," Frank shouted to be heard over the deafening crowd.

Hazel nodded and the two began making their way back to Percy to offer whatever help they could.

_It won't end this way_, Percy told himself. _It _can't_! If she dies, I die. It's been a freaking eight months!_ No way he was going to let this happen.

Just as Percy reached the perfect spot, not too far away from the aqueducts, and not too far from the ship, a wall of wind crashed into him, sending him flying through the air toward the aqueducts. He landed hard on his back with a groan.

"Gods, what was that?" Percy mumbled as he forced himself to get up. Astonishment course through his veins as he stared up at the ship. It wasn't falling anymore! At least not as fast; that blast of wind must be supporting it.

Percy realized just how quiet everything had become. No one was screaming and running in panic anymore, just staring at the ship in confusion. Yeah, he was pretty confused too. Who did that?

"JASON!" Reyna shouted, finally, a huge grin plastered on her face. _Well that was… slightly out of character_.

The Romans began cheering, banging their swords and their shields. But Percy was still worried. Just because the ship wasn't sinking _as _fast didn't mean that it wouldn't cause many injuries to those on board if it didn't slow down even more.

Concentrating on the water, Percy moved closer to the ship, his eyes closed tight. He felt a familiar tugging sensation in his gut and water erupted from the aqueduct. If he focused, Percy could gather the water above him, building up pressure so that when he let it go, it would shoot into the sky and reach the ship, aiding the wind in supporting it. Hopefully that would be enough for it to land safely.

The energy was draining out of him. Percy could feel the pressure building; it felt like he was trying to lift an elephant. Not that he knew exactly how that felt, but after holding up the sky, he had a pretty good guess. _Ten more seconds… _he thought to himself.

_Ten. _

_Nine. _

_Eight. _

_Seven. _

_Six._

_Five. _

_Four. _

_Three. _

_Two. _

_One. _

Percy let the water go with a sigh of relief, but didn't stop guiding more water up into the air. The water blasted toward the ship, which was now only 100 feet above the ground. The force crashed into the bottom of the ship propelling it up a few yards, then slowly lowering to the ground.

Despite the combined efforts of Jason's wind and Percy's water, the ship landed hard on the ground, splinters flying everywhere as the wood at the bottom of the ship cracked and shattered.

Percy barely found the energy to stagger forward to the ship. Hazel and Frank materialized on either side of him acting as crutches. Together, the three hobbled over to the ship just as a very shaken and soaked Thalia climbed down a ladder.

"I swear to the gods, if I _ever _set foot on another flying boat…" she growled to herself as she brushed herself off and wrung her hair out. Percy just stood staring with wide eyes. After a moment, she looked up and gasped.

"Percy!" Thalia ran forward throwing her arms around Percy. He hugged her back, having missed one of his best friends. She pulled away and studied him. "You look almost as bad as I must," she grinned. "Thanks for the shower by the way."

"Sorry," Percy laughed already feeling better. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Well who knew! You can think!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway," he said clearing his throat. "This is Hazel, daughter of Pluto. Hazel this is Thalia, daughter of Zeus. And this is Frank son of Mars and descendent of Neptune."

They shook hands, a little awkwardly, seeing as Hazel and Frank were using both their hands to hold Percy up. "Nice to meet you!" Hazel said, smiling warmly.

"Good to meet you too. Sorry we almost crushed you! Our ship went all out of control…"

"Yeah, we noticed," Hazel joked, looking pointedly to the wreckage of a ship behind Thalia.

Two more people, equally drenched as Thalia, came crawling down the ladder. Percy was thankful, as glad as he was to see Thalia again, he was dying to see Annabeth! Percy recognized the Latino guy with curly hair and elf ears from both the scroll and… He glanced at Hazel who was trying really hard to keep a smile on her face. But Percy could tell she was nervous and scared. There was a girl he had never seen, but he would bet ten bucks she was a daughter of Aphrodite. Not that he was interested.

They both came and stood next to Thalia, looking bruised and battered but thankful to be alive. Thalia pointed to the elf guy. "This is Leo, son of Hephaestus… He was the one who built the ship." She whispered the last part, pretending like he couldn't hear.

"Oh shut up… I wasn't the only one! It was all of Cabin Nine, and I'm pretty sure one of us would have caught something that big that would make the whole ship fall out of the sky!" Leo ranted. Percy guessed they'd been giving him a hard time for a while.

"Drop it, Repair Boy, Thalia's _kidding_." The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm Piper by the way." She said holding out her hand to Percy, Hazel, and Frank.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Percy." Percy took her hand. As did Hazel and Frank after stating their names.

"Annabeth's been absolutely _dying _to see you again. I can see why." Piper teased, obviously talking about how he must look like he was about to faint… well, he was, after all.

Percy smiled, but he really wanted to see her too. Where was she? "Where is she?"

Leo, Piper, and Thalia all looked around then back to the ship. "Probably on the ship still with Jason and Grover." Leo shrugged.

"Let's go then." Another voice broke in. Percy didn't even hear Reyna sneak up behind him. Giving her an encouraging smile, which she returned, the group turned to climb on board.

"Help!" a voice shouted. GROVER! "It's Annabeth! _Help_!"

Percy's world stopped, but Grover's voice went on, echoing that one sentence again and again. _It's Annabeth. Help. It's Annabeth. Help. It's Annabeth. Help. _

Breaking away from Hazel and Frank, Percy threw himself to the ladder, his energy renewed by the fact that Annabeth was in trouble and she needed him.

It was like everything was moving in slow motion. Percy couldn't get to her fast enough. Grover called again, and Percy followed his voice, his heart hurting. Then he saw them. A guy he didn't know. Grover. Carrying Annabeth up from below decks on a makeshift stretcher. Annabeth. The girl he loved. Lifeless. Barely breathing. Blood dripping down her beautiful bruised face. Annabeth.


	3. Surprise Visit

**A/N: OMYGOSHHH! GUYS YOU MUST HATE ME! I know its been a WHOLE MONTH since I last updated! And trust me, I did NOT mean to do that! I was gone a lot for the March for Life, and then my mom just had a baby, and school…. And finals are coming up for my school again… Yeah, I've just been busy, and I realllyy hope you wont hate me and you'll still read and review! This won't happen again(hopefully!) Plus it didn't help that I had writer's block his whole chapter. So im sorry if its not my best, but I hope you ENJOY(:**

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><p>Annabeth was swimming. Paddling farther and farther toward the sandy bottom below. The water was warm, and when she opened her eyes, the salt didn't make them sting. Beside her, schools of exotic fish– red, green, blue, purple, and pink –rolled by through the waves. Stingrays, sharks, and swordfish played together far above her.<p>

Annabeth felt almost peaceful.

And confused… why exactly was she underwater? And shouldn't she not be able to breathe? The only person Annabeth knew who could breathe underwater was Percy.

PERCY! That was it! She was looking for Percy. And she was underwater because Percy liked water.

But wasn't she supposed to be on a ship? One that flew through the air, not water? And where was everyone else? Piper, Leo, Jason, Thalia, and Grover?

A murmuring of voices reached her ears through the water. Annabeth couldn't make out what they were saying because the ocean distorted the sound.

Maybe it was Piper. Or Leo. Or Jason. She should go to the surface and check. Annabeth didn't want them to be worried about her, like how she was worried about Percy. Clawing her way up, she waved goodbye to the fish around her.

Minutes passed. Then hours. Annabeth stopped, arms exhausted. Looking up to where bright, warm light was streaming through the water, Annabeth realized that she wasn't any nearer to the surface than she was when she started. What the h…

That was when she felt it. Something wrapping around her leg, preventing her from reaching the top. Annabeth couldn't tell what it was, but it did not feel good. Shivers shot up her spine as the cold, clammy hand gripped her leg, pulling her down away from the streaming sunlight above.

No matter what she tried, Annabeth couldn't loosen its grip. Kicking and clawing, she was dragged down to the bottom of the ocean. The pressure from all the water was making her head spin, like it was about to explode!

"Child, be still. You have a much worse fate in the world above you. Come with me. I will take away your pain. Come with me, and die!" The unpleasant words wafted through Annabeth's mind, like someone had gotten inside her head.

No! I can't leave Percy! Why would I want to let you kill me? I'm a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Don't expect me to be that stupid! Annabeth thought back, screaming in her mind. The hold on her ankle loosened suddenly, and Annabeth was able to squirm free from the death grip.

All Annabeth's common sense screamed at her to plow her way to the surface, but something made her turn and look at the monster with the ugly voice.

Surprisingly, the monster wasn't all that horrifying… Long green hair spilled over her shoulders in waves. Annabeth realized that it was seaweed. The green seaweed hair framed her pale face that was tinted a very light blue. Piercing turquoise eyes bored holes into her own, causing Annabeth to shiver slightly.

"I am the spirit of Metis. Your mother has sent me, daughter of Athena. Your mother has sent me to give you the choice. The choice that could influence the fate of the world." The monster, Metis, whispered, again, in Annabeth's mind.

Shocked, Annabeth's mouth dropped open. Her mom had sent this monster to kill her! Her own mother! So much for having a good mother-daughter relationship. All that was now in flames. Anger coursed through her body as she continued to register the creature's words.

Knowing her mother (or at least, she thought she did…), the choice to have her killed had to have some sort of strategy to it, right? Athena didn't just want kill her daughter for no reason, right? Right? Right?

"What choice do I have to make?" Annabeth wondered trying to think through her confusion.

"You have met the son of Athena, Daedalus, no?" The smooth voice of the creature penetrated her thoughts once again. Weakly, Annabeth nodded her head. "He was given a choice much like yours. A choice to become a true hero… or to live a quiet modest life to yourself. Daedalus chose to become hero, however, because of this he was given the Mark. The Mark gives you knowledge and with knowledge comes power. Power over life and death."

Metis paused, letting her words sink in. Annabeth was not following where the thing was going with this? Did she have that same power of life and death? What did that even mean? What Mark?

"Daedalus tried to take matters into his own hands by trying to prolong his life. In the process, he took another's. He thought if he made himself immortal, he could fulfill his destiny without giving into the Curse of the Mark. But alas, it is not possible. No one can escape the Mark." Metis shook her head as if she was sad, disappointed.

Anger bubbled up in Annabeth once again. This creature was not making any sense! Annabeth wanted answers and she wanted them now! "I don't even know what Mark you're talking about! Just spit out what you're trying to say and tell me already!"

The creature stared at her for a moment before continuing. "I speak of the Mark of Athena, child. It is both a curse and a blessing. And you it shall be yours if you shall have it and accept the consequences."

The Mark of Athena? Annabeth had heard of about every piece of Greek Mythology, but this… this Mark was new. "Consequences? What curse? What blessing?"

"Your questions shall be answered in time. Patience, child, is what you need." The creature grabbed Annabeth by the shoulders. "I must go now child. Think about it, you must make the choice soon. The time is coming. And you must choose if you wish to be part of that time… or if you want to forget everything you know and love."

All of a sudden, Annabeth was thrown up out of the water. The sound of her name being called reached her ears, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Green eyes, the color of the seaweed that had covered Metis's head, enveloped her gray ones. Annabeth was conscious of her heart beating hard against her chest. It took her a second to think though the raging headache that was pounding against her skull. She was staring into the eyes of the guy who she had missed the most. The one who made her heart race. The who annoyed her to the point of death. But the one who made butterflies float around in her stomach. The one who her heart ached for. PERCY!


End file.
